Ice chipper



P 8, 1970 E. s. ERICKSON 3,508,715

ICE CHIPPER Filed Oct. 1.7, 1967 5 Sheet-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Ernest S. Erickson April 28, 1970 E. s. ERICKSON 3,508,715

ICE CHIPPER Filed Oct. 17, 1967 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Ernest S. Erickson ms waza ATTORNEYS April 28, 1970 E. s. ERICKSON ICE CHIPPER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 17 1967 INVEN'IOR. Ernesr S. Erickson ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,508,715 ICE CHIPPER Ernest S. Erickson, Windybush, Wilmington, Del., as-

signor to Ronson Corporation, Woodbridge, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 675,928 Int. Cl. B02c-l3/24 U.S. Cl. 241186 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is an improved apparatus for breaking ice into particles of a predetermined maximum size. In an ice chipping chamber of this apparatus pointed chipping instruments, mounted on the surface of a rotatable disc, shatter the ice into particles which are then driven against a metering grate, with only those particles smaller than gaps or spaces in the grate passing through such spaces into a discharge passage. The forward edge on each chipper from its point downward toward the disc surface defines a rake angle, such that ice contacted by this edge is held or deflected downward toward the disc and thus restrained from bouncing upward. A spiral entrance passage delivers the ice to the chippers at a place remote from the entrance opening, thus further reducing the possibility of kickback or ricocheting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for breaking ice into particles, and particularl to the structure of the ice chipping chamber, the passages to and from the chamber, and the instruments therein for shattering the ice.

Description of the prior art In the development of apparatus for crushing ice or otherwise reducing blocks or cubes of ice to convenient size, two of the most common techniques employed are breaking the ice into particles and shaving the ice into slivers. Because of the hardness of the ice, these procedures require either a very large force if applied slowly or a lesser force when applied rapidly. For home or commercial appliances, the latter technique is more feasible by using a relatively small, high speed motor which rotates a cutter to crush or scrape the ice. In the case of ice cubes, the more typical ice form, this high velocity operation causes some cubes or particles thereof to ricochet away from the rotating cutters and often to bounce back out of the passage through which the cubes Were introduced.

Since kick 'back is both inefiicient and possibly dangerous, one remedy used in some prior art crushers is a stuifer or plunger which pushes a quantity of cubes in the direction of the moving cutters and simultaneously acts as a barrier against ice kick-back. Another technique is to employ in the passage leading to the crushing chamber, trap doors which close after cubes pass into the chamber, thus precluding disgorgment of the cubes. However, use of a plunger or lever to direct the ice is an inconvenient additional operation for users of ice crushers alleged to be automatic; and trap doors merely prevent the kick back of ice into the entrance passage, but do not reduce ricochet inside the chamber. Thus in known crushers, a considerable amount of ice bounces around the chamber instead of being immediately crushed. In addition to the feeding and kickback imperfections, prior art crushers produce ice particels of greatly varying size "ice and have no satisfactory means for controlling the size of ice particles ultimately ejected.

The present invention comprises numerous novel structural features, both stationary and moving, which function in combination as a greatly improved ice crushing apparatus. A main principle of this invention involves striking an ice block with pointed instruments which neither crush nor shave the ice, but more accurately stated, splinter or chip the block into particles. Furthermore, with the block resting upon a table-type surface, the instruments are directed generally downward tending to restain the block in its location While the chipping occurs. In the present invention, pick-like projections extend from a disc which is rotated at a high speed in the chipping chamber. The chipping elements are preferably formed from a flat plate, and each has a point and a front edge extending from the point downward toward the disc surface, and extending rearward from the direction of the point defining a rake angle. A cube of ice pierced by the chipper point will usually, simultaneously be contacted by the chippers tapered front edge which will drive the cube downward against the disc and restrain it from bouncing away after the impact.

Also, within the chipping chamber of this improved apparatus is a metering plate against which the ice cubes and particles thereof are driven. Gaps or spaces in the plate have pre-selected dimensions to permit the passage and discharge of ice particles smaller than such gaps, and larger particles are barred from discharge and re-struck by the chippers until their size is reduced sufficiently. To further improve the efiiciency of this apparatus a spiral passageway leads to the chipping chamber. Consequently, cubes traversing this passage travel a considerable distance from the point of entry along a curved path to the chamber before being quickly struck by a chipper. Any ice that is kicked back will move along a generally straight line and will hit a wall of the curved passage rather than being ejected back up to the entrance. An additional safety and efliciency feature is a baffle located at the upper surface of the passage or chute exit and near the metering plate. The bafiie will deflect downward any ice particles that bounce upward, and will also guide whole cubes into the chipping area where they cannot escape the chipper points.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is an improvement in an apparatus for breaking ice into particles of a predetermined maximum size. The improvement is ice chipping means in combination with an apparatus having a housing which defines therein a chipping chamber, a first passage into which ice may be introduced and passed to the chamber, and a discharge passage through which chipped ice is ejected from the chamber. The chipping means comprises a disc mounted rotatably in the chipping chamber with the top surface of the disc exposed to the first passage, and at least one ice chipper on the exposed disc surface and radially spaced from the axis of the disc. Each chipper has a base part and a point extending from the base, the pointbeing spaced from the plane of the disc and pointing along the direction of the discs rotation, and a front edge defining a rake angle rearward from the point to the base. The chipping means also includes a metering grate mounted in the chamber, the grates lower edge being adjacent the to surface of the disc and the lower edge hav ing at least one gap which is radially spaced from the discs axis and corresponds to the chippers radial location. The gap extends through the grate to the second passage, and as the disc rotates the chipper approaches and passes through the opening, whereby ice entering the chipping chamber are struck by the chipper and shattered into particles, the chippers front edge holds the ice against the di'sc surface, ice particles smaller than the grate gap are discharged-therethrough, and larger particles barred DESCRIPTION or THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective .view ofthe improved ice chipping apparatus ofthis invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the chipping chamber,

FIG, 3 is atop perspective view of the chipping chamber,

FIG. 4 is a cut-away top plan view of the apparatus, .FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4, V

FIG. 6 is a partial step-sectional view tak n along line 66 of FIG. 4,.and

.FIG. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a fully assembled ice chipper 1 of this invention, comprising an upper section 2, a middle section 4, and a lower base section 6. Structure within the apparatus is shown in FIGS. 27 (particularly FIG. 5) wherein middle section 4 houses a chipping chamber 5 and a passage 5A through which chipped ice is discharged, upper section 2 includes entrance passage 3 through which ice cubes are directed to the chipping chamber, and base section 6 houses the motor drive unit 7.

As seen in FIGS. 26 and particularly FIG. 3, the mechanism in the chipping chamber includes disc 8 secured to the drive shaft 23 of electric motor 9 mounted in the base section. The disc is a piece of sheet steel with portions cut out at 10 and 11 such that tab-like elements may be bent upward to form the chipper projections 12 and 13. Each projection is a flat member whose plane is normal that of the disc. The chipper shape is generally trapezoidal with its front and rear edges 14 and 15 parallel and at a angle relative to the vertical axis of the disc. For the front edge 14 this 20 is the rake angle under which ice cubes are driven downward against the disc. Adjacent the front edge is a top edge with an acute angle defined between these edges. The two chippers are located about 180 apart, and chipper 12 is at a greater radial distance from the disc axis than chipper 13, to insure a wide sweep as the two chippers rotate in the chamber.

In FIGS. 2 and 3-6, is shown the relationship of the entrance chute 3, the disc 8, a metering grate or plate 16, and the discharge passage 5A. The metering grate is an angle section or else merely a flat plate defining a mounting part'17, and a striking surface comprising fingers 18 at a right angle thereto. Plate 16 is located so that spaces 19 between the fingers are at a radial distance from the disc axis corresponding to the radial location of the Chip pers which upon rotation will pass through the spaces. Since the chippers are quite thin, they will pass with considerable clearance; however, ice particles larger than these spaces will be barred from passage. Thus the dimensions of the spaces are reselected for a convenient ice particle size which in this device is about one quarter inch in width. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, when a chipper is in a gap 19 of the grate, a line a-a drawn along the direction of the chipper will extend into the discharge passage 5A generally parallel to its axis. Consequently ice particles small enough to traverse gaps 19 will be directed generallyalong the axis of passage, and for those particles not traveling in the proper line, the baffle portion 20 of the passage will d flect them back-into the passage.

Middle section 4 is formed of a basic shell 21 joined by, boltsto a lower plate 22. Shell 21 defines outer walls ofthechipping chamber 5 and the upper surface of discharge passage 5A, and plate 22 defines the inner walls chamber and of passage 5A; At the center of plate 22 (see FIG. 5) is a raised boss 24 through which motor shaft 23 extends for connectibly receiving disc 8, spring washer 25 and nut 26. FIGS 2 and 3 show further interior structure of shell 21 and plate .22. For each' of these members, there is a generally circular part surrounding the disc 8 and defining the chipping chamber 5; these members have generally longitudinal extensions, 21A and 22A respectively, which define the walls of the adjacent discharge passage 5A. In order to collect and drain water from melted ice that accumulates upon plate 22, a circular trough 27 surrounds boss 24, and this trough feeds into a straight trough 28 along the axis of extensions 22A. A drip ring 24A has flanges which overlie boss 24 to prevent any water from leaking through the boss aperture and into the motor. i

Upper section 2 of the housing is a hollow cylindrical container with a top part 30 that closes three quadrants of the cylinder. The remaining quadrant defines the entrance passage 3 through which ice cubes are introduced. This quadrant is open at the top and has a slopping bottom that forms a spiral ramp 31 leading into chipping chamber 5 in an adjacent quadrant as shown clearly in FIG. 6. When cubes are delivered to the chamber into the quadrant adjacent passage opening 3, disc 8 immediately carries or drives the cubes clockwise toward the next quadrant, and ricocheting ice particles are not likely to bounce all the way back up thecurved passage and strike the operator. In addition to the chipping area being remote from the entrance, a bafile 32 is located at the end of passage 3 and above and adjacent grate 16. Particles which do ricochet oiT the grate or oif chippers will hit the bafile 32 and be deflected downward into the chamber. Ramp 31 and bafile 32 also function together to guide the cubes directly to the chippers, whereby the cubes become instantly struck and shattered, with no delay time required for stuifing and manually controlling the feed. In this preferred embodiment .bafile 32 is a portion of an insert 33 which becomes mounted in container 2 by bolts 34 in threaded bosses 35. Grate 16 is mounted to the insert by bolts 36 in threaded bosses 37 of the insert.

Cylindrical housing 6 contains the electric motor 9 which is mounted between base bracket 40 and upper bracket 41. As shown in FIG. 5, bolts 42 join plate 22 of the chipping chamber to bracket 41, and other bolts join lower housing 6' to plate 22 whereby all major parts of this assembly become integrated.

Secured above the motor on its shaft and below plate 22 is an air impeller 43. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, the impeller has fiat, radial blades 44 which when rotated function as a centrifugal cooling fan for the motor. Arrows b show the path of air drawn through the perfcrated base plate 45, up through sleeve 46, through the motor 9 and the upper sleeve 47, through the eye 48 of a fiber disc 49, radially outward past blades 44, to air discharge ports 50. The motor operates on standard household current and is controlled by switch 51.

Although any suitable materials might be chosen; in this embodiment the housing members of section 2, 4 and 6 are made of Cycolac T 2098 plastic, the impeller 43 is made of Delrin plastic, and the disc 8 and chippers are 16 gage No. 302 stainless steel.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ice chipping apparatus including a housing which defines therein a chipping chamber, a first passage into which ice may be introduced and passed to the chamber, and a discharge passage through which chipped ice is ejected from the chamber, the improvement in .com-

8,508,715 6 (b) at least one ice chipper on said exposed disc sur- 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and operable in an face and radially spaced from the axis of the disc, the upright position, wherein chipper having (a) the first passage (i) a base part, (i) forms a generally downward spiraling ramp (ii) a point extending from the base, the point for directing ice into the chipping chamber and as the disc rotates, the gap extending through the grate to said second passage, whereby ice entering the chipping chamber is struck by the chipper and being spaced from the plane of the disc and 5 onto the discs top surface, and

pointing along the direction of the discs rota- (ii) includes a baflle spaced above the disc near tion, and the metering grate, whereby ice particles which (iii) a front edge defining a rake angle rearward bounce oil the grate may strike the bafiie and from the point toward the base, and 10 be deflected back to the disc,

(c) a metering grate mounted in the chamber, its lower (b) said apparatus further comprises an electric motor edge being adjacent the top surface of the disc and means mounted in the housing, the motor drive shaft having at least one gap radially spaced from the operably connected to the rotatable disc, the motor discs axis and corresponding to the chippers radial being cooled by a centrifugal fan disposed on the location, and through which said chipper may pass shaft, and

(c) the housing is a plastic shell defining an upper cylinder part in which is included said first passage, and the chipping chamber below said passage.

shattered into particles, the chippers front edge holds the ice against the disc surface, ice particles smaller References Cited than the grate gap are discharged therethrough and UNITED STATES PATENTS larger particles barred by the grate are re-struck until further reduced in size, and said apparatus being 20952 2/1935 snllth 241 92' operable in upright position, wherein the first passage 432,758 2/1890 M1118 241220 X forms a generally downward spiraling ramp directing 2 2,440,051 4/1948 Lmd 241285 ice into the chipping chamber and onto the discs 3051401 8/1962 Huck 241 257 top surface, and includes a bafile spaced above the disc near the metering grate, whereby ice particles which bounce oiT the grate may strike the bafiie and be deflected back to the disc instead of up through the first passage.

ROBERT C. RIOR-DON, Primary Examiner M. G. RASKIN, Assistant Examiner 

